Grateful Dead Music Forum

This caught my eye in the new catalogs. might be cool with a super 2 in the middle and more traditional neck and bridge pick-ups

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/ ... ric-guitar

Does it only play pentatonic scales?

Kiss was my second concert I attended in '77. I think Jonnyboy has an LP he installed a third PU on . . .

The thing about Ace is that he had a sound - not so much a tone, but his solos sound like Ace Frehley solos - and there is certainly something to be said for that.

I did it to my black paul, added the super II in the middle and it got great tone IMO. I loved the guitar's sound. When I got my new guitar, the guitar went to back up. I didn't like the neck as much. But still one of my favorite tone machines. Great Les paul richness, then all the strat like quacks you can dial in too. Lots of players talk about having a les paul and a strat in one guitar and this is an awesome example of how it can be done.

FWIW, I would probably change out the 3 way switch with a 5 way and the pickups to super 2's right away if I got that beauty. Wire it all up with the buffer and its there.

Well I just couldn't resist sharing this one - never thought worlds would collide like this - from of all places Winterland in 1975. Point being I think Ace was the musical brains behind this band and the other 2 clowns out front were good at jumping around and acting all goofy. Best part is all the associated comments for this you tube video that pretty much say the same thing - Ace gets no respect for his contributions - anyway they were pretty rockin in those first couple of years. Now back to my normal all Dead all the time daily routine....and no 3 pick up les Paul yet - guess that came a bit later in Ace's game.

The cameraman totally thought the rhythm player was playing the lead at the end

KISS FAN! Talk about a band that was nothing more than rock and roll but with killer marketing!

I seem to recall Ace saying he just played the chords- he couldn't tell you their names. Which would put him more in the savant category and not so much in the genius category. Either way Ace represented most of the group's talent...

But I love the guitar.

Strange as it may seem (or so I thought), Vintage Guitar did a feature on Frehly a few issues back, focusing on his guitar style and riffs.

Mr.Burns wrote:I seem to recall Ace saying he just played the chords- he couldn't tell you their names. Which would put him more in the savant category and not so much in the genius category. Either way Ace represented most of the group's talent...

But I love the guitar.

He's known for being a smartass and stretching the truth and flat out lying for effect

Here's that interview:
http://www.guyguitars.com/eng/interview ... ehley.html
How would you characterise your style? What's the essence of an Ace Frehley solo?

Well, you know, basically, my style is derived from all the people who influenced me, the names I mentioned earlier and I stole a little from each of those guys, put it together, and came up with my own style. And over the years I came up with a couple of things on my own For me, the best way to learn how to play guitar is not to take lessons, it's to listen to your favourite six, seven, eight, ten guitar players and learn all their solos note for note. And once you can do that, then you've got a good shot. It's real easy for me to tell, you know, the schooled guys, that can read music and everything. You know what it is? I mean, I break the rules all the time. I play chords that I don't know the names of ask me to do some kind of scale, I'll go, "What?" I really think, probably one of the reasons why people set me apart from other musicians is because I didn't take guitar lessons, and I do play unorthodoxly. And I think that's what sets me apart maybe from some of the other musicians who don't go out there and break the rules, you know "You can't play this note against that chord" that's bullshit!

Ace was one of the guys who inspired me to play guitar when I was 11. That show I saw in Munich was one of those "I wanna do that moments." maybe not the most technically brilliant guy out there but he could play some fucking rock and roll.

Sounds like a Dave Mustaine interview i read where he said he didn't know scales or chords. he went on to say something like 'if it sounds good it probably is something and if you're lucky it's something exotic so poeple that study music think you're better than you really are'

Back in the '70's, I had this buddy who was a couple of years older than me. Loved KISS. So I went with it...after all ...he was older & I had to be cool. I did eventually roll his minty '70 Mach I, and buy a '69 Mach I from him in the same year.

Time passes, and I hire this young guy to keg beer in a brewery I ran. KISS. Loud volume. Days on end.

Begin opinion piece...

Crap. I get that cheeze sells. Musicians play their hearts out for chump change, and cheeze makes the big bucks. KISS came from low-down in the Cheeze barrel. Total crap. My son was watching a VH1 thing where Gene Simmons acknowledges they were terrible. Christine Sixteen...C'mon. I can imagine it being fun when you're 12.

Opinion piece closes...

Sorry guys. But I'm glad you enjoyed it. I think I was into Styx at the time.
Peace
M
...flame away...I asked for it.

If you modify the wiring so you can split the super IIs (or at least the middle one, you would probably have something.)

Add the buffer and the OBEL and you are on the way. Always loved Les Pauls over Strats....................

strumminsix wrote:

Mr.Burns wrote:I seem to recall Ace saying he just played the chords- he couldn't tell you their names. Which would put him more in the savant category and not so much in the genius category. Either way Ace represented most of the group's talent...

But I love the guitar.

He's known for being a smartass and stretching the truth and flat out lying for effect

Here's that interview:
http://www.guyguitars.com/eng/interview ... ehley.html
How would you characterise your style? What's the essence of an Ace Frehley solo?

Well, you know, basically, my style is derived from all the people who influenced me, the names I mentioned earlier and I stole a little from each of those guys, put it together, and came up with my own style. And over the years I came up with a couple of things on my own For me, the best way to learn how to play guitar is not to take lessons, it's to listen to your favourite six, seven, eight, ten guitar players and learn all their solos note for note. And once you can do that, then you've got a good shot. It's real easy for me to tell, you know, the schooled guys, that can read music and everything. You know what it is? I mean, I break the rules all the time. I play chords that I don't know the names of ask me to do some kind of scale, I'll go, "What?" I really think, probably one of the reasons why people set me apart from other musicians is because I didn't take guitar lessons, and I do play unorthodoxly. And I think that's what sets me apart maybe from some of the other musicians who don't go out there and break the rules, you know "You can't play this note against that chord" that's bullshit!

Untrained AND pretentious? A rare combo.